New Delhi: There has been a sharp decline in groundwater levels in several parts of Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan over the years, the government said today.
According to the data released here, which is part of country’s first ever aquifer atlas, Himachal Pradesh has the best groundwater level as water exploited is quickly recharged.
The atlas, first ever compilation of aquifer systems in India, says that within the national capital, South-West Delhi is the worst affected by depleting groundwater levels.
“The construction around Aravali Hills has created a situation which has disturbed the groundwater recharge system,” said Central Ground Water Board Chairman S C Dhiman.
He said overexploitation due to population concentration has led to depletion of levels and the recharge process is slow due to the type of soil in the region.
Dhiman also said hard rock areas of South India are also severely affected. “But the recharge process is faster in rocky areas. Good rains over five to seven year period can bring back water in aquifers.
The atlas has been prepared on 1:250000 grid map scale.
“It would be better if the scale is 1:10000 so that every village in the country is covered. Then it will help the farmers and the common man to understand the water level in their area,” Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said.
The atlas covers 14 principal aquifers and 42 major aquifers. On the 1:10000, it can cover over 1000 aquifers. But the project will take another seven years.
Besides the all-India atlas, Bansal also released state atlas of Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu-Pudducherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Meghalaya. -PTI
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